Joel Embiid | Photo: Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Sports
French basketball general manager Boris Diao has commented on National Basketball Association (NBA) star Joel Embiid’s decision to join the US national team.
It has already been reported that Embiid, who was born in Cameroon, obtained both French and US passports last year. Previously, assumptions were made that the basketball player represented France at the 2024 Olympic Games, however, the player himself made a choice in favor of the USA.
“We never had the initiative to invite Embiid to the French national team. He was the one who started talking about it a couple of years ago and since then he said that he wants to play in our team. We asked him to give an answer by October 10, he announced that he had changed his mind and no longer wanted it. Of course, we were ready to welcome him to the teams, but we accept that he has changed his mind,” said Diao.
The Cameroonian himself stated that his main motivation for making the decision was participation in the Paris Olympics. “This was a difficult decision. I liked all three options. I love my homeland very much, but I want to participate in the Olympic Games. This has been my goal and dream. My son is American, I have been here for a long time, these are also factors in my choice. Like I said, I love my country, but at the end of the day, I really want to play in the Olympics,” Embiid explained.
Embiid averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 66 regular season games last season. The USA national team guaranteed itself a place in the basketball tournament of the Paris Olympic Games by entering the PK semifinals. Several more NBA stars are expected to help the Americans in France.
Embiid: I love my country, but I really want to play OS
